TAVOUR BLOG

OUTRAGE! There are hundreds of awesome beers on Untappd that are getting unfairly low ratings! Why? Some breweries are lesser known, some styles are less trendy, and some flavors only appeal to very adventurous palates.

In an attempt to highlight some of these exceptional brews hidden in the shadows of the hyped-up Hazy IPAs and popular Pastry Stouts, I’ve scoured Untappd for the 8 most underrated beers I could find.

8. Ten Ninety Brewing - De Ogen Pumpkin Saison: Everyone’s quick to hate on Pumpkin beers but they’re not an easy style to pull off, and since there is a lot of trash being brewed from the pumpkin patch, I think the best ones deserve a nod. De Ogen Pumpkin Saison is Worth 1000 Beers’ “Pumpkin Beer of the Year” from Beer Lover’s Chicago’s “Best Brewery” as well as the #21 Pumpkin Beer on BeerAdvocate. It’s somehow only rated 3.65 on Untappd.

7. Coast Brewing - Bulls Bay Oyster Stout: I get it, not everyone digs seafood, and oysters are one of the scariest sea creatures to unadventurous eaters. But dark beer fans need to do some blind tastings -- extra creamy and subtly salty, oyster brine and roasty Stout flavors are a match made in heaven. Bulls Bay is the #21 ranked beer in South Carolina on BeerAdvocate but is rated a mere 3.81 on Untappd.**

6. Matchless Brewing - Blueberry Trainwreck IPA: This potently dank milkshake IPA is my favorite beer of the 370 I’ve tried so far in 2018. Its extra low 3.60 rating on Untappd must be attributed to poor name choice that evokes fruity carnage. Actually named after a marijuana strain, it contains no blueberries and doesn’t taste anything like blueberries. It’s not supposed to, but it seems that the general beer drinker sees blueberry in its name and is heavily disappointed when it fails to deliver on the fruitiness.

5. Other Half Brewing - Boogie Board Stuntz Kolsch: What’s more refreshing, or better paired with any meal than a Kolsch? The answer is nothing. Other Half’s Boogie Board Stuntz Kolsch is Food and Wine Magazine’s “Best Beer in New York State.” Although the brewery is known for juicy IPAs, they can really do it all. The best beer in the entire state of NY… a state that ranks among the best craft beer makers in the country… and it’s only rated a 3.76 on Untappd. C’mon people, stop rating non-IPAs so low just because they don’t taste like IPAs.

4. Iron Hill Brewery - Bedotter Belgian Tripel has earned 4 GABF medals and is only rated 3.79 on Untappd. Most beers never win even one GABF medal, and Bedotter has been placed among the Top 3 Belgian Tripels for four of its vintages! This is a serious case of Belgian hater-aid a.k.a. Sour fans trying it for some random reason, rating it poorly on Untappd, and leaving comments like: “I don’t really like Belgians but this one was okay…”

3. Saint Arnold Brewing - 5 O’Clock Pils: 2017 GABF Mid-size Brewery of the Year, Saint Arnold specializes in Lagers, another style that gets more flak than appreciation. 5 O’Clock Pils is the #5 Czech Pilsner in the World on BeerAdvocate even though it’s made in Texas, not the Czech Republic. But Untappd users rate it a bleak 3.61. This Pilsner deserves way more respect.

2. Ayinger Brewery - Celebrator Doppelbock is the #1 Doppelbock on BeerAdvocate, treasured around the globe. It’s likely because Doppelbocks are an old, not-too-popular style here in the U.S., and also because it’s so easy to find this one in pretty much any grocery store that offers a wide selection of foreign craft beers. But rating a classic like Celebrator anything less than a 4.0 is heartbreaking. It clocks in at 3.82 on Untappd.

1. Deschutes Brewery - Black Butte Porter: The conspiracy theorist in me finds it a little fishy that my top two most underrated picks share the exact same Untappd score of 3.82. For whatever reason, the general consensus is that Stouts are amazing and Porters are boring. I’d like to point out that in this day in brewing, the lines between what differs between a Stout and a Porter have been crossed so many times they’re still blurry even under a microscope. Black Butte Porter has won over a dozen major awards including a GABF Gold medal -- I’ll fight anyone to the death (with my words) who thinks it doesn’t deserve a 4.50+ Untappd rating. You can take your stingingly hot, artificial coconut, Barrel-Aged Pastry Stouts with higher ratings and pour ‘em down the drain. This beer is the reason many of us like Dark Beer, and it’s the inspiration for so many great breweries to try their hand at the dark side of craft.

There are plenty of exceptionally tasty underrated beers out there, and we’d love to hear your picks. Please leave them in the comments.